The present invention relates to a stop module, in particular for automated machining and conveyor systems, in which a stop element for objects moving in a direction of motion in a movement plane is located on a base body.
In automated machining and conveyor systems that are embodied for conveying objects, in particular workpieces or workpieces located on workpiece holders, it can be necessary for various reasons to stop the conveyance of the individual objects, in particular for performing machining operations on the workpieces during the standstill phase, but also for lifting the workpieces or workpiece holders. For that purpose, stop modules with a stop element can be located on automated conveyor systems, and the stop element can be moved between a first extended position, in which the stop element intervenes in the path of motion of the objects conveyed on the conveyor system, and a second, lowered position, in which the stop element enables conveyance of objects conveyed on the conveyor system.
From European Patent Disclosure EP 1 777 177 A1, for instance, a stop module with a stop member located on a base body, for objects moving in a current direction of motion is known. The stop member can be moved out of this movement plane and back into it by means of an electrical actuation; for the electrical actuation, an electrical rotary drive is provided. A rotary driving motion of the electrical rotary drive is converted, via a conversion means embodied as a crank drive, into a linear motion of the stop member that is either oriented with the movement plane of the objects or oriented out of that movement plane.
Disadvantageously, the forces required for the up-and-down motion of the stop member in a stop module embodied in this way are quite high, so that the electrical rotary drive must be correspondingly large and thus entails relatively high costs.